jennifer pretzeus

The simple complexity of the New Mexico high desert landscape inspires me --the depth of overlapping planes, the rhythm of textures, the graceful/elegant line of the horizon and how it all integrates into a flow of light and form.

 

In my encaustic work, I often use the land as my pigment. I gather various colors of clay and earth to grind, sift and fuse into the wax. I collect bits of charred wood from the remnants of fires and make my own charcoal. Horsehair from the horses I ride and mica from caves I explore also find a place in my work. All of these become part of the piece through the same processes that have shaped our earth—layering of sediment, scraping, carving and heating.

 

Environmental issues and climate change have been a recent focus. Through my sculpture and cold wax pieces, I seek to add meaning to that which has been discarded.

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